Gas-producer.



H. E. SMYTHB.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24,1913,

1,088,799. Patented Mar.3,1914.

WITNESSES INVENTOH 'in contact with the fuel so UNITED sTaTas PATENT oFFIcE.

HORACE E. SMYTHE, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To THE s. nsmYTHn COMPANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION or WEST VIRGINIA.

" p eAs-raozouosa Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed April 24, 1913. Serial No. 768,271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE E. SMYTHE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsbi'irgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gas-Producers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gas producers of the revolving inclined type.

The object of this invention is to provide a revolving inclined gas producer with improved means for automatically feedin the fuel to the same and in uniformly distributing the fuel therein. I

Another object is to provide improved means for breaking up or stirring the fuel, preferably at the point where the blast comes that a uniform fire is maintained. p

Another object is to provide a construction whereby the gases willpass through the incandescent ashes thereby consuming ithe soot and converting the tar into as.

Other objects will appear hereina ter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the figure 1s a vertical longitudinal section through an apparatus involving my invention.

On the drawings, 1 represents the inclined roducer shell or body havin the preferahly cylindrical portion 2 provi ed at each end with an annular bearing 3 surrounding the portion 2 and resting on the anti-friction rollers 4. The rollers 4 "are supported in the housings 5 resting on suitable foundations. The annular rack 6 surrounds the body portion 2 between the bearings 8, the teethof the rack meshing with the pinion 7 on the shaft 8 driven from any The shell 1 is inclined or tapered from the portion 2 to "the contracted neck portion 9 which is arf-Iranged to discharge the ashes and such water-seal.

3 11 16 shell, there being a packing 12 around the. neck and within the said opening in burning fuel as may be mixed therewith 1 into the ash-pit 10.

11 represents the gas off-take chamber which has its lower end below the level of the water .in the ash-pit sogas to provide a The chamber 11 is provided with an opening to receive the neck 9 of thechamber 11.

12 is a passage for the circulation of water to keep the adjacent parts cool.

The front wall of the chamber 11 is interrupted below the surface of the water in the ash-pit so that the ashes may be re moved from beneath the chamber. shown no means for removing the ashes but any well known device or apparatus may be employed for this purpose.

The chamber 11 communicates at its up per side with the gas off-take passage 13 from which the gas passes to any suitable receptacle or apparatus for further treatment, there bein a gate or valve 14 at the I have munication between. the chamber 11 and the passage 13.

The upper end of the producing shell is I provided with an opening1 in line with the axis of the producer. \Vit in this opening I place the cylindrical fuel feeding pipe 15 which communicates at its upper end with the vertical hopper 16.

17 represents an inclined shaft which lies in the line of the axis of the'producer and of the pipe 15 and has one bearing at .18 in the side of the hopper and another hearing at 19 inside of the upper end of the portion 2 of the shell. The shell is provided with inwardly extending arms 20 which support the bearing 19. The shaft 17 is provided with a bevel gear 21 which mesheswith the pinion 22 on the driving shaft 23. The shaft 17 has the spiral conveyin screw '24 secured thereto so that as the s aft 17 is revolved the fuel which passes into the upper end of the feedpipe 15 will be forced by the feed-screw into the upper end of the roducer shell.

The shaft 17 is he low from end to end i and has its outer or upper end provided with a closure 25. This closure is provided with an inwardly tapered openin to receive a correspondingly shaped holfow fitting 26 into which steam or air or both is fed by the pipe 27. The lower end of the hollow bearing 17 terminates below the arms 20 and is provided with a nozzle 28 which is preferably somewhat larger than the shaft 17 and is provided with openings extending in various directions so that the air or steam may reach practically all the fuel surrounding the nozzle. This nozzle preferably rotates with the shaft and may be cylindrical with into the shell and at the same time air, steam or both are forced through the pipe 27, the hollow shaft 17-and the nozzle 28 into the burning incandescent fuel within the shell. The rotation of the'shell and the shaft. 17

causesthe fuel-to be broken up evenly around the nozzle all the time so that the fuelis uniformly supplied in every direction with the steam, air, or both. The feed=screw maintains a practically solid fire-bed and aids to force the ashesout through the neck 9 of the shell'into the ash-pitand a-portion of the chamber 11 above the ash-pit. The blast from the pipe 27 forces the gases with in the shell .to pass out through the incandescent fuel and ashes in 'chamber 11 and behind the same, thereby causing the soot to be consumed and the tar to be converted into gas. The gas practically free from soot and tar passes from the chamber 11 into "the passage 13,from which it may pass to any suitable apparatus for further treatment orv to a receptacle or tank. By rotating the shell and the shaft 17 at suitable speeds the charge in the shell can be maintained' in substantially the same condition and the fuel can be evenl broken up and. the blast given uniform free access to the fuel. At the same time ashes cank' be uniformly discharged from the nec .9.

It will be observed that the shell 1 is inclined so that the fuel when fed into the same is forced against the fuel previously fed, so that the feed-screw constantly keeps thecharge in the shell uniform as to quan- .,tity and pressure and assists in causing the charge to pass through the shell.

I do not desire to be limited to the predistributed and cise combinations and details shown and de scribed but reserve the'right to modify the same within the scope, of the appended claims.

I claiIn 1. In a gas producing apparatus, an inclined rotary shell, a hopper, a shaft extending axially into the upper-endof the shell, a conveyer on the shaft arrangedto convey fuel from the hopper intothe upper end of the shell, means for supplying the said hollow shaft with .a-blast of air,"steam or both, a blast distributing nozf'zle secured to the lower end of the shaft, and means'for rotating the shaft in one'direction' and the shell in the same or oppositedirection.

2. In a gas producing apparatus, an inclined rotary shell, a hopper, a cylindrical passage between the hopper and the upper end of the, shell, an inclined hollow shaft extending throughthe said passage and provided with the feed-screw, means for supplying the hollow shaft with a suitable blast, and means for rotating the shaft, the

shell being inclined at such an-angle that the. feed-screw forces the fuel continually against the fuel previously fed into the shell.

-3. In a gas producing apparatus, an in clined rotary shell, a rotar shaft extending into the upper end of thes ell and arranged in axial alinement therewith, and a fuel agitating device on the lower end of, the

shaft. p v

4. In a gas producing apparatus, an inclined rotary shell, a hollow rotar shaft extending vinto the upper end of tlie I shell and arranged in axial alinement therewith,

a hollow fuel agitatin device secured-to the lower end of the sha t and provided with blast distributing openings, and means for providing the hollow shaft with asuitable blast.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 22nd day of April, 1913.

HORACE. E. SMYTHE.

Witnesses:

Anion E. Durr, *F. N. BARBER. 

